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BF 1999 
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Copy 1 









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THE ENTRANCE TO ALL FRATERNITIES 
FORMING PART OF THE FEDERATION 
ROYAL FRATERNITIES ASSOCIATION. IMC. 



1 



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MAGIC DEFINED 

The Religion of the Ancient Magi, even those who 
found, and visited, the child Jesus; a combination of Re- 
ligion, Science, and Philosophy; a system of training hav- 
ing to do with the whole of man — body, mind, and ,soul — 
and recognizing man as a three-fold being, a Trinity of 
body, mind, and soul. 

This Trinity, when perfectly developed, makes man 
one with God, and gives him the power of the Magi. 

The Magi recognize each part of the threefold being 
?s equal in importance one with the other. They recog- 
nize that the body is as real and important as the mind, 
that the mind is as important as body and soul, and that 
soul is as important as the other two. They recognize 
£hat there can be no perfection in man so long as he de- 
preciates the one or the other of his threefold nature, 
knowing that the power of the Magi comes only to the 
perfectly developed man. 



2 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 



DEC 24 1914 

©CI, A 397969 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

In placing this booklet before you, in which we, the 
Ancient Magi, are attempting to give some idea of the 
things we hold as truth, holding as such because we have 
tested and not found them wanting, it is necessary to 
make a few comments as a foreword; and we can do no 
better than to quote from Eliphas Levi, one whose teach- 
ings are in harmony with the Magi but one who had not 
reached the highest possible Initiation. 

It is needless to say that this booklet will not appeal 
to those who have no liking for the Sacred Science, nor is 
it intended for such. It i,s issued, however, to give in- 
formation to that fa,st increasing number of persons who 
are beginning to take interest in the deeper things of life, 
especially those things which concern the Soul and its 
infinite powers. 

The Magi have made no demonstration during the past 
centuries simply because the time was not yet ripe for the 
Priesthood again to be established. But that time is now 
here; and many are enrolling, taking upon themselves the 
sacred vows, and undergoing the training that is neces- 
sary to make masters of men. 

"Occult Philosophy seems to have been the nurse or 
the god-mother of all intellectual forces, the Key to all 
divine obscurities, and the absolute queen of society in those 
ages when it was reserved exclusively for the education 
of priests and of kings. It reigned in Persia with the 
Magi, who at length perished, as perish all masters of the. 



4 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

world, BECAUSE THEY ABUSE THEIR POWER; it 
endowed India with the most wonderful traditions, and 
with an incredible wealth of power, grace, and terror in 
its emblems ; it civilized Greece to the mu.sic of the lyre of 
Orpheus; it concealed the principles of all the sciences 
and of all human intellectual progress in the bold calcula- 
tions of Pythagoras (one of our great Masters) ; fable 
abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to appre- 
ciate this unknown power, became confused with fable; 
it shook or strengthened empires by its oracles, caused 
tyrants to tremble on their thrones, and governed all mind,s, 
either by curiosity or by fear. For this science, said the 
crowd there is nothing impossible; it commands the ele- 
ments, knows the language of the stars, and directs the 
planetary courses; when it speaks, the moon falls blood- 
red from heaven; the dead rise in their graves and artic- 
ulate ominous words as the night wind blow ( s through their 
skulls. Mistress of love or hate, the science can disperse 
paradise or hell at its pleasure to human hearts; it dis- 
poses of all forms and distributes beauty or ugliness; with 
the rod of Circe it alternately changes men into brutes 
and animals into men;, it even disposes life or death, and 
can confer wealth on its adepts by the transmutation of 
metals and immortality by its quintessence or elixir com- 
pounded of gold and light. Such was the magic from Zo- 
roaster to Manes, from Orpheus to Appolonius of Tyanna, 
when positive Churchism, with it,s vicarious atonement, 
and belief in mere faith, at length victorious over 
the brilliant dreams and titanic aspirations of the Alexan- 
drian school, dared to launch its anathemas publicly against 
this philosophy, and thus forced it to become more occult 
and mysterious than ever." 

That the claims made by the school itself were not 
false, science now attests ; for this school was the forerun- 
ner, the mother, of medicine, of pharmacy, of chemistry. 
It taught all of that which is now taught in regard to the 



JHE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 5 

powers of the mind, of human efficiency, or New Thought, 
of Mystici,sm, and of Theosophy; only, this school went 
much further, and taught, then as now, that man is three- 
fold, that the threefold man has to be developed harmon- 
iously in order to be all that he should be. 

To-day the Council of the Magi stands as it did in 
the hoary past. It condemns no philosophy, condemns no 
branch of it, but has its own positive doctrines, still teach- 
ing the powers of the body, of the mind, and of the soul. 
In this it differs from the teachings of cults which rec- 
ognize but one branch of philosophy, to the destruction 
of the other branches, and, ultimately, to the destruction 
of itself. 

That the Council claims to possess the Ancient Ritual 
of the Orders of the Magi, is not denied. It does still pos- 
sess them, possesses all of the Sacred Mantrams, all of 
the Sacred Invocations, and all that belongs to the Great 
Philosophy. 

The Magi do not unduly exalt the physical being; but 
they do, and without fear, place the physical just where 
it belongs, giving it equal importance with mind and soul, 
thereby upholding the holy trinity. 

But the Magi do claim this one thing as a truth; 
That person who develops the physical will reach the sum- 
mit of spiritual perfection much sooner than he who pays 
no attention to the physical, believing falsely that mind, 
or soul, no matter which, is all important. 

Naturally, we can not give even a beginning of an 
exposition of our works, and our beliefs, and our teach- 
ings, in a treatise as short as this; but this booklet will 
be sufficient as an introduction, giving to the interested 
world a foreword of what is to be. 

LIFE, FIRST NECESSITY. 
In the Holy Art, it is life itself which must receive 



6 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

the first consideration of the Neophyte. Without Life, 
nothing can be accomplished. The more of life we pos- 
sess, the greater the possibilities before us. There are 
millions who are apparently living, but who are in reality 
dead. They have only enough of the Life Forces in their 
possession to keep them moving. 

It is the Life Forces within us which keep us on earth 
and keep us moving and able to accomplish those things 
which we must accomplish in order to eke out a mere ex- 
istence. But it is also these same Life Forces which, pos- 
sessed in abundance, gives us the energy, the power, to ac- 
complish those things which are not absolutely necessary 
in order to exist, but which are highly desirable if we really 
want to LIVE. 

There is a vast difference between LIVING and mere- 
ly existing. The latter is simply to be on earth and barely 
.to have those things which keep soul and body together. 
But the life that is more than mere existence means posses- 
sion of those things which make living really desirable and 
truly profitable. Among the things that make life rich 
may be counted the power to do good, to help those who 
need help, to have flowers, music, love, and all those other 
things which assist in awakening the soul, and in opening 
the eyes of the soul to beauty. He does not truly live who 
is blind to the beauty and the desirability of music, of 
flowers, or art, and of the opera. All these things are of 
jthe soul, and the more truly and fully the soul is awak- 
ened, the more desirable these things become. They are 
;food to the soul, just as material food is necessary to keep 
the body in perfect order. 

WEAKNESS MEANS POOR LIFE FORCES. 

Weakness, or only sufficient strength to keep soul and 
body together, simply means that the Life Forces are weak, 
Jthat there is a drain of the forces from the body, or that 
the mode of living is not correct, and therefore there is 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 7 

no accumulation of these forces. 

The more of the Life Forces we possess, the greater 
will be our capacity to work; and the greater our ca- 
pacity to work, to plan, to execute, the more of the desir- 
able things in life we may have. 

To be poor is to be either a weakling or a .sluggard. 
f There is no reason for man not to have the things he 
should have except the one reason that he is not willing, 
in the first place, to make the necessary effort to accumu- 
late these Life Forces or Energies so that he shall possess 
the Key to the Storehouse of strength and power. 

THERE IS NO EXCUSE. 

We can no longer make the excuse so long made by 
the millions, that we are the slaves of conditions, of en- 
vironments, of trusts, and of combinations. The fact re- 
mains that the air we breathe is free, that the truly neces- 
sary foods are inexpensive, and that the exercise indispens- 
able to health and strength is easily obtainable. 

Another great fact also remains, namely, that, if we 
know how to make use of the air that is free, how to ex- 
ercise, and how to select the foods, it is then, if we will, 
within our power to draw to us all the forces and the pow- 
ers and the energies, which WILL, ultimately, give us the 
strength and the power to overcome ALL things. Bear in 
mind, that there is no limitation placed upon us as to what 
we may do; we simply limit ourselves. The world is to 
the conqueror. It is only a question as to whether we 
WILL TO DO or will to die. 

WEAKNESS AND DEATH, SIMPLY IGNORANCE. 

The Holy Sciences, the Sacred Art, have for centuries 
taught that death i,s simply the penalty of improper living. 
The millions have laughed at the Mystic. The millions still 
laugh, and keep right on living in ignorance and death ; 
and the result i,s death. But Science, though a laggard 



8 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

always, is now recognizing the fact that the Rosicrucian 
myth, so-called, of the Elixir of Youth is not an idle dream, 
but a wonderful fact, a thing which can be had, but a thing 
which can not be bought and swallowed like a potion, but 
which mUjSt be taken hold of and be held through a correct 
mode of living and thinking. 

THERE 'IS NO DEATH. In other words, death is 
neither desirable nor necessary. But men make it possi- 
ble by the way in which they live. They invite death, and 
he who is invited usually enters sooner or later. 

This is a treatise, not on the mysteries of life, but on 
{he art of attainment. It is necessary, however, to call 
attention to this subject of life and modes of living be- 
cause, without life, we can not accomplish; and, therefore, 
now as always, one of the first things that the Imperial- 
istic Council of the Magi teaches the Neophyte on the 
Path, is how so to live, breathe, and think, as to draw in 
the Life Forces, the Powers, and the Energies, so that his 
days may be long enough and of sufficient number to en- 
able him to accomplish; and, in the Sacred Art, days are 
necessary, life is necessary, the forces of life and energy 
are necessary. This the Magi help the student to accom- 
plish. 

REGENERATION. 

Twin to life, and just as necessary (for the two are 
necessary), is Regeneration. This is the transmutation 
cf the weaknesses of the physical, mental, and soul being, 
into the strength that is possessed by the Magi. 

Without this Regeneration, nothing is possible. With 
this Regeneration, transmutation of the poor into the rich, 
of the weak into the strong, of the bad into the good, is the 
basis of all other Holy Work. Through this transmutation 
the weak will becomes strong; and a strong, powerful Will 
is the Key that unlocks every door in Magic, be what it 
may. 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 9 

And it must be borne in mind that in this ,sense Re- 
generation is not religious, as that word is ordinarily un- 
derstood, though, in truth, to regenerate always means to 
change the undesirable into the desirable, which necessarily 
implies the changing of evil into good. And he who be- 
comes good is also become Holy. Therefore, the very foun- 
dation of true White Magic is religious, though one seldom 
thinks of it as such. 

From this it will be seen, that, no matter what the ob- 
ject of the Neophyte may be, no matter what his accom- 
plishments, the end will not only bring him power, not only 
bring him accomplishment, but it will also lead him, at the 
pame time and through the same means, to the Door of 
Immortality. 

TRUE MAGIC, A RELIGION. 

In other words, say what we will, true Magic is 
actually a religion, the base of all religion, since it de- 
mands of the Neophyte the LIVING of a certain mode of 
life; and, through this mode of living, the Strength of the 
Magician comes to him, also the Magician's Holy Power. 
And, while this is coming to him, while he is developing it, 
he is also drawing towards God, the Great Father, the 
.Great Cause of all that is, and the Source of all lasting 
and desirable power. 

WORKS, ACTS, NECESSARY. 

A Master, a Magus, of the past made this brief state- 
ment: "We must act in order to be." Herein is contained 
the whole Mystery of the Holy Art. 

But even though the whole secret of attainment is 
therein laid bare, it is but the foundation of the work; 
'for, in order to act, we must know HOW to act. Herein 
is where the Ancient School has been of so much service, 
because it has ever been teaching the true seeker, the sin- 



10 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

cere Neophyte, how to act in order that he might be- 
come. 

To act is necessary in order that we may become; but 
the Neophyte mu,st be carefully prepared so that he may 
dare to act. He must be taught HOW to act, and WHEN, 
and WHERE. He must be taught how to come into touch 
with the Hierarchies of Potencies and Powers, so that 
they may be with him, near him, and help him to obtain 
;the powers that he desires to possess. And it is just this 
that the Magi have ever taught. 

DEVELOPMENT, FIRST. 

But, first of all, the Magi have taught their Neophytes 
on the Holy Path how to live, what to do, in order that 
they may strengthen the house in which the Soul, that Po- 
tentate of Infinite Powers, lives. 

Unle,ss the house is prepared, unless the house is 
strengthened, unless it is freed from all weakness and sick- 
ness, the Soul, the Potentate therein, can not be strong. 
The Soul can only develop in harmony with the body ; and, 
if there is weakness or illnes ( s in the body, so in like man- 
ner is the Soul affected thereby. The first great work is 
10 rebuild (regenerate) the body. The body is the very 
foundation of the Soul, or the House of Power; and for 
this reason physical strength and physical development are 
of ,supreme importance. 

The Council of the Magi does this to begin with. 
And, once that is accomplished, then true development be- 
gins. And following that is the higher work, the teaching 
of the methods whereby the Hierarchies of all Powers and 
all Potencies may be called upon, and help therefrom be 
received. 

You must LIVE in order to BECOME. But, in or- 
der to live, in order to act, you must know how to live, 
Jiow to act, and when to act, 



JTHE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 11 
THEORIES CAN NOT ENTER THE WORK. 

Thi,s work is not a theory. It is a terrible fact; and 
all that which enters the work is a fact. 

For instance, where is there a true horseman who 
does not know how to take care of the horse, how to feed 
him, how to exercise him, in order that he may be perfectly 
rounded out, in order that he may gain the strength of 
muscle, and the lung power, to be able to meet all compet- 
itors of his class? These things, men who care, now know. 
In like manner, the human body, being under the same 
laws a,s the animal body, can be taken care of, and can 
be brought to just as high a state of perfection as is the 
body of the horse that is placed on the race track and 
wins. 

THE SOUL, UNDER SAME LAW. 

The Great Law of Hermes, "As above so below," has 
to do with this work, because the Laws that govern the 
body also govern the soul. Here it must be understood 
that, when we say the Soul, we have reference to the 
Potentate of Power which resides in all men, no matter 
what you may call it. 

As stated, the Law that governs the body also gov- 
erns the Soul; and thus it i,s true that, just as we use 
the proper food, the proper exercise, for the body, in order 
to have it become healthy and strong, so must we give the 
proper thoughts and the proper Drills to the Soul in order 
that it, likewise, may become pure and strong. It is for 
this reason that the Magi are at liberty to say that the 
Law.s of Diivine Experience are known, that they are facts, 
and that he who lives, he who acts, will be able to obtain 
the powers of the Magi. 

EVERYTHING, UNDER ORDER. 

There is nothing in Nature that is not under Law and 
jQrder, All things that take place, be they what they may, 



12 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

are under some just law, a law that governs all things. 

For this reason there are actually no Magical opera- 
tions; because .such, as usually understood, would be con- 
trary to Nature, and therefore foreign to God and His 
Laws. 

All operations, even by the greatest of the Magi, are 
in harmony with Divine and Natural Laws; but they seem 
Magical, or works of Miracle, simply because the vast 
number of mankind can not comprehend that any such 
thing could be accomplished by man. The ordinary man 
doe,s not understand the fact that he who brings about such 
work does it because he has placed himself, through right 
living, right thinking, and Sacred Drills, into harmony with 
the Inner Laws, and therefore works in harmony with, not 
contrary to, Natural Laws. 

There is no such thing as the supernatural. All that 
happens is natural, and under natural law,s. Biat the cause 
of many of the things that happen is unnatural. Conse- 
quently, the effect of this unnatural cause is unnatural, 
though under, and by, and through, natural laws. Bear in 
mind, that, by taking poison, you bring about an unnatural 
condition, because the thing taken is unnatural; but the 
reason for it is entirely natural. As a consequence, the 
effect must be unnatural, though the Law under which it 
operates is. entirely natural. 

It is these things that the Magi well understand; and, 
understanding the Law, they always work in harmony with 
the Law. And, wanting a natural effect, the Magu,s sets 
into motion a natural cause; when an unnatural, for some 
good reason, is desired, then he uses the means whereby 
to produce an unnatural effect. 

He becomes a Magus, or a Magician, not because he 
does supernatural things, but because he understands nat J 
ural and unnatural things, and uses means according to 
the effect he desires. 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 13 
THE MAGUS, ALWAYS A MYSTIC. 

The Magus is always a Mystic, and, in one sen,se, a 
dreamer. He receives his powers, his energies, and, above 
all, his dreams, or plans, when in the most exalted ,state. 
The exalted state can not be reached by the brute nature, 
but must be reached through noble aspirations, and through 
the purest of efforts. 

The Magus, though perfect and just in his judgment, 
nevertheless, at times, enters the exalted state, the state 
wherein the physical is forgotten; and he consorts with 
the gods, and from them, direct, receives his inspiration 
for great and noble works to be accomplished. 

A BROAD STATEMENT 

This is naturally a bold statement to make in thi^ 
materialistic age. But who is there to deny it? 

Even the churchman claims that his pra3^ers reach to 
the throne of the All Wise Creator, but there he ends. 
He does not know, he ,simply believes ; and, in believing, 
he does. But the Magus is not satisfied merely to believe. 
He lives until he has reached the development wherein 
he knows that he consorts, associates, with the god,s. 

How does he know? How do you know that when 
you listen to the opera you are hearing the most beautiful 
singing, the most divine music? How do you know that 
you see past history enacted before you? You tell me that 
you hear and that you see. Well and good. Likewise, 
and in like manner, the Magus meets with, consults with, 
hears, the divine drama of the ages enacted by the gods. 
From them he receives instructions; and if he i,s a true 
Magus he obeys the instructions. 

You say it is a dream. Well and good. How do you 
know that, when you listen to the Operatic, you are not in 
a dream? For, remember, much in life is not a reality by 
any means, while much even in dreamland is a terrible 
reality. 



14 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI 

But the Magus does not dream. He is not a mere 
inert, negative machine. He is very much awake; and, 
when he is with the gods, he is more awake, more positive, 
than when he is giving succor to some poor human being 
who is very much in need of the helping hand. 

VULGARITY, DEATH TO AN AESTHETIC 
NATURE. 

There is nothing vulgar about the Magus. If you find 
a person who claims to be one of the Magi, and who you 
see is vulgar, then you know that his claims are false, 
that he is not that which he claims to be. 

The Magus is always a gentleman. His tastes are 
those of a gentleman; and, whether he lives in the hovel 
cr in the mansion, he is a gentleman still. 

The Magus is not a passionate creature, the slave of 
passion, though as a rule, he is the possessor of great pas- 
sion. It is only in passion that we find power. He holds 
this passion as fully in check as does the. miser horde his 
gold. He is the possessor, but he is also the master, of 
passion; and he uses passion only when it should be used, 
not because it is master of him and takes its own course, 
but because he is the master, and directs the course of 
passion. 

Thus, he never flies into anger; though, at times, in 
order to accomplish some worthy object, he may appear 
as if in great anger; for it is only through anger, or sem- 
blance of anger, that many of the sons and daughters of 
men can be controlled, or prevented from doing wrong. 

The base of passion is always the same. Whether it 
be a passion for drink, for irresolute living, or what not, 
it is passion simply taken in a different form. 

The Magus controls his passion; he, therefore, is the 
gentleman. He is sober, not given to strong drink; for 
he who is given much to the drink that heats becomes a 
glave thereto, and is no longer his own master, nor wil^ 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 13 

he remain a gentleman. The Magus is temperate in all 
things, though he does not forswear anything. To for- 
swear is to admit being a slave, and the Magus recognizes 
that all things are for use, and that all things are for his" 
use, but that they must be rightly used. And it is in the 
RIGHT USE of all things that the Magus finds his great 
power. 

THE SECRET OF ELIPHAS LEVI. 

It was Eliphas Levi that wrote: "By means of per- 
severing and graduated athletics, the powers and activities 
or the body can be developed to an astonishing extent. It 
is the same with the powers of the Soul. Would you 
reign over yourself and others? LEARN HOW TO 
WILL. How can one learn to will? This is the first Ar- 
canum of Magical Initiation, and it was to make it under- 
stood fundamentally that the ancient depositaries of priest- 
ly art ,surrounded the approaches of the sanctuary with so 
many terrors and illusions." 

What man who is interested in the Holy Art can con- 
tradict this teaching of Eliphas Levi? There is truly no 
writer for the people who has produced greater works 
than did he. 

The WILL is the Magician. To develop the Will, that 
is the mighty work of the Master and the Neophyte. With- 
out the Ma,ster, the Neophyte never can pass the Thresh- 
hold; but with the help of the Master whom he fully 
trusts he may well pass it. 

It is the Magi, the Masters of the White Art, who 
have, for many centuries past, taught the Drills and the 
system of development that have enabled many to pa,ss 
the Threshold ; and they still, now as before, in their priv- 
ate text-books, teach these systems. 

But there is a difference as to overcoming in this 
age from the ancient time. 

Under present condition^, economically and otherwise, 



16 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

no illusions need be placed before the Neophyte; for there 
are many things in life, which, if overcome, will strengthen 
the will of the Neophyte sufficiently to make him a 
Magus. 

"I CAN NOT," THE SNARE UNDEjR WHICH 
MANY FALL. 

The greatest destroyer of Magical power, is the ever 
ready, "I can not" do this or that. 

Thus it is, there are many seeking for ,sublime powers, 
for mastery in the Holy Art, who ever approach the Magi 
for help and instructions; but, at the very beginning, they 
complain that they can not do this or that, that they can 
not overcome certain conditions, certain environments, or 
that they can not get the money necessary for obtaining 
the instruments and the valuable text-books, absolutely es- 
sential in the Holy Art'. 

This is where they fail. All men are tested. It may 
be that the Master tests them, it may be that Nature or 
the gods test them, in some way placing obstacles before 
them. And let it be said right here, and without con- 
tradiction, that he who- can not overcome these things can 
not become a Magus ; for the very foundation of the power 
that the Magus possesses, i,s obtained by OVERCOMING. 

OVERCOMING, THE MEANS OF POWER. 

Overcoming is the Key to Power. Overcoming is the 
Key that unlocked the Door of Attainment. Without 
overcoming, or where there is no overcoming, there is no 
power to be had. But, by overcoming obstacles, be they 
what they may — environments, conditions, finance^ — by 
overcoming these, we gain power and strength; and it is 
this power, this strength, which is absolutely necessary for 
Mastership. 

ThijS can not be gainsaid. This is a fundamental doc- 
trine of, the Holy Art, of the Priesthood of the Magi, 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 17 

Hereon rests the Temple that has withstood the tempests 
fof the Ages. ONLY BY OVERCOMING can a man 
gain strength. And the things that one must overcome 
are not the things that the other must overcome. Each 
one has a cross to bear, and the cross of one is not the 
cross of another. Moreover, we may bear the cross and 
reap no benefit from it, because the benefit we receive de- 
pends entirely upon HOW we bear the cro l ss, and in what 
spirit we meet unhappy conditions. 

That which we must do we should do cheerfully and 
with right good-will, recognizing the fact that it comes to 
us because we need just that thing; and, if we overcome it 
with that knowledge, then it is the very Key that we 
required to enable us to enter the Storehouse of Power, 
the Temple of the gods. 

SELF-MASTERY, A REQUISITE. 

The Magus i,s never an idler. He recognizes the one 
great, divine, fundamental law — that God never rests, that 
God is ever creating, ever giving forth, ever doing, and 
that man, in order to become one of the gods, must do 
likewise. 

This is self-mastery. It is the gradual BECOMING 
of an ever-active, ever alert, ever creating being. By do- 
ing this, by becoming one with this active principle, he 
will be continually drawing in power from the Universal 
Source; and he will never feel that he must give up work. 
He will know that he can continue to work, never becom- 
ing tired, except in rare cases when he begins a new work, 
or when he does the work of others, work which is not 
his to do, but which he does for certain good reasons, 
whether as a means of self-training and discipline or sim- 
ply because he wishes to lighten the burden of others. 

This is self-mastery. This it is to overcome. For 
man must be ever ready to do the things that should be 
done, be they what they may, and however undesirable. 



13 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

And he must be ready and willing to lift the load from 
the shoulders of another when he finds the load too heavy. 
Eut, with it all, be the work what it may, he must still 
be the gentleman, and still do it with a thought of love; 
otherwise, it ends in weakness and not in strength and 
pelf-mastery. 

ONE CONTINUED THOUGHT. 

In order to become the Magus, it is necessary that 
the mind, the whole desire, should be centered on one 
thing, on one work to be accomplished; and, though much 
other work may have to be done, though the duties of 
life may be many, this one thought must be held stead- 
fast throughout. 

There is an old saying: "When you ,see a falling star, 
think of that which you wish to accomplish, and it shall 
be so." And this is one of the most true of all sayings. 

He whose mind is so centered on hi,s desire that he 
can recall it immediately, and during the time of the fall- 
ing of a star, is sure to win, sure to accomplish; for the 
thought is always in mind and that thought, thus stead- 
fastly held, will attract him to the final victory, the ac- 
complishment of the de,sire. 

No matter what you may desire to accomplish or to 
become, hold that thought, visualize the condition, and 
then go to work, with heart and soul, for its accomplish- 
ment, not however, shunning the duties of life as they 
come before you. You must remember that it is a part 
of your duties to fulfil your destiny, to fulfil your part in 
the great Drama of Life, aside from your own one great, 
all-powerful, all-embracing desire. 

PLEASURES. 

Contrary to what has been taught by pseudo-mystics 
of many creeds, pleasures are not forbidden to the Master 
gv tQ the Magus, 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 19 

' Like as to all other men, nothing is forbidden him. 
On the contrary, all things are his to accept, with the un- 
derstanding, however, that no pleasure shall be accepted 
by him once he thinks he must have it. To think he must 
have a thing is to be in bondage to it. To indulge be- 
cause he desires the pleasure, while being free to accept 
or to reject, is to be master of the condition. And Master- 
ship always offers freedom. In this, as in all things else, 
man must remember to be the master, and accept nothing, 
do nothing, merely because he feels that he MUST have 
it; for then it becomes an evil, a destructive power. He 
must indulge or take only because he desires to do so. 

ACTIVITY, THE MEANS TO POWER. 

Activity, continual vibration, is the means, the road 
to povoer. 

Water that stands still becomes stagnant and a poison, 
/destructive to life and reason. It is the spring of running 
water that is ever fresh, ever life-giving. 

It is thus with the powers of man. The wise man, 
the true seeker for Magean power, recognizes that he must 
use all of his faculties, including not only the faculties of 
work, but the faculties of pleasure as well, if he desires 
to be truly perfect, truly rounded out. For this reason, 
idleness is not one of the things that the Magi can be ac- 
cused of. Ever active, therefore never allowing any of 
the powers or any of the parts of the being to become stag_ 
nant, he is in like manner always and forever drawing 
in new powers, new material, and thus, he is 
EVER RENEWING HIMSELF. 

And this is the mystery of life. This is the mystery 
of powers. It is the secret of becoming one with the 
gods. 

WEALTH, NOT A MEANS. 
The complaint, so often made by those who are seek- 



20 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

ing for the WAY to Mastership, that they are poor, that 
they possess not worldly goods, is without a sound basis, 
and, contrary to their expectations, does not open the Doors 
of the Temple to them, but the more effectually closes it 
against them. 

Poverty, instead of withholding these powers from 
men, and preventing them from reaching their highest am- 
bition, has actually been the means of helping the many 
Masters to the heights of attainment. 

Thus we find that the greatest Masters in all ages and 
of all countries were such as could well make this plea; 
for they were, in many cases, the poorest of the poor. But 
one thing was in their favor, one thing above all others 
helped them towards the high road to success, namely: 

THEY HAD TOO MUCH MANHOOD TO PLEAD 
POVERTY. 

And it was this manhood, this sterling quality within them, 
which did not allow them to plead poverty, which forced 
them to work, to slave, to suffer, and to deny themselves, 
in order that they might accomplish, and they DID ac- 
complish. 

In regard to wealth and distinction, the Great Initi- 
ates and. Masters have represented three classes. Typical 
among these, was Boehme, a poor cobbler. He was born 
into a poor family and continued poor all his life. Yet a 
Master of Mysticism was he, of no mean ability. Tolstoi 
represents another type. He was a man of wealth, aris- 
tocracy, and royalty. Yet for the sake of the Great Art, 
he renounced both wealth and title, and became a laborer 
of the field. Yet who questions for one moment the su- 
perior Mastership of Tolstoi? Again, Giounotti, born of 
wealthy and royal parentage, retained his wealth and his 
title, dedicating and using them in the Great Work. Thus 
we see that it is not a question of wealth or poverty in 
jtself, but the use made of one's condition and the atti- 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 21 

tade of mind in regard to it. Wealth can not debar one 
from Mastership. Neither can poverty prevent one from 
attaining Mastership. 

WHERE THERE IS A WILL. 

Where there is a will there is a way. This is es- 
pecially true in regard to the Hfoly Art. 

It is not from the rich, not even from the well-to-do, 
that the ranks of the Magi have been recruited. But it 
is from the rank,s of the poor who were actually aristo- 
crats in nature that the Masters of the past have come; 
and so truly aristocratic in nature were these sons of men 
that they were too proud, too noble, too truly men, to plead 
poverty, but rather suffered, slaved, and starved, in order 
to accomplish. 

Moreover, it i,s a fact that those who make poverty 
their plea, are nearly always shallow in nature. To offer 
them a suggestion, to correct a weakness, to mention a 
fault, is quickly resented by them ; and for this reason they 
never reach the goal. 

The one who desires to become a Magus must be 
sensitive in nature; but his own nature must be so noble, 
so broad, that he can not become insulted or grievously 
offended; for a gentleman WILL not insult, and no other 
can. 

This the true seeker understands well; and therefore 
no matter how weak he may be in some respects, when he 
is corrected, lectured, aye, even punished, he accepts it a,s 
bis due, not with sullenness and thoughts of revenge, but 
with gladness, knowing that it is the only means which 
will bring him to the desired goal of Mastership. 

And this is the true aristocrat. 

He is the man that is to be. 

THE COUNCIL, NOT FOR WEAKLINGS. 
From all of this it will be very plain that the Imper- 



22 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI.' 

ialistic Council of the Magi is not seeking for weaklings, 
that it does not desire those who are by nature weak and 
who are content to remain weak. The Venerable Order 
of the Magi does not cater to any man or woman. It is 
ever ready to take the most lowly and to help them to- 
ward the highest peak of attainment; but ,such must come 
willing to dare and to do, willing to be instructed, willing 
to be censured when necessary. And, above all else, they 
must be willing to take, with right good-will, and with a 
smile, the exposure of the weak points in their natures; 
and, let it be understood, that these weaknesses are very 
often the very things which we hold most dear, and which, 
when torn from us, cause the severest suffering. 

But these who are so willing, who are willing to do 
their part, willing to give up weakness for strength, will- 
ing to become one of the gods — these are the workers 
who will be the true aristocrats. Men and women are they, 
who no longer complain that the world, and mankind gen- 
erally, is cruel and unjust to them, but who are willing 
to admit that all that comes to them, whether good or ill, 
properly belongs to them. 

But this is not all, these are the one,s to be taught 
how to become free from undesirable conditions, free from 
that which is called Karma, through the doing of good acts 
to others in order that the evil formerly committed may 
be fully paid. 

The richest man in the world may be the poorest in 
his inner life; and equally true is it that the poorest man 
in the world, the beggar sitting by the ,side of the road with 
but a crust of bread to eat, may be the greatest gentleman, 
the truest aristocrat. 

He who fears to have his weaknesses exposed, fears 
to be told the truth, fears to be corrected, fears to give up 
the old for the new — he i,s not the one that can become 
one of the Magi. Mastership is not for him, and never 
will be hi,s until he is willing to be remodeled, willing to 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 23 
be regenerated. 

FAITHFULNESS 

I have again recourse to the writings of Eliphas Levi; 
for no\yhere else do we find the direct teachings pointed 
out more clearly than by him. 

"Finally, we may and should fulfill the duties and 
practice the rites of the Cultus to which we belong." 

The means, plainly and without any possibility of 
evading it, that, if we want to reach the highest, then we 
must be absolutely faithful to the Cult to which we be- 
long. It is utterly impossible for one to be a Magus and 
to be unfaithful to the Magi at the same time. 

Only that returns to us which we send out. In other 
words, the more truly faithful we are to the Holy Art 
and its Sublime Society, the more we live up to it,s sacred 
teachings and its Holy Invocations and Divine Mantrams, 
the more of good will return to us. 

Thus, in time, the power is like placing money in a 
Bank. If we deposit a sum and allow it to remain, add- 
ing to it continually, there is not only interest paid on 
it, but there is the added compound interest. 

In like manner, the more truly faithful we are to the 
Holy Art, the more of this virtue we deposit, adding to it 
continually, the more do we realize a certain full return, 
and, besides this, interest and again the added compound 
mterest. For this reason all true and sublime Orders in 
times pa,st have demanded absolute faithfulness of their 
members on penalty of expulsion. This faithfulness de- 
manded is not only for the welfare of the Fraternity, but 
is doubly to the interest of each individual member, be- 
cause no chain is stronger than its weakest link; and no 
Order can be stronger and more powerful for good than 
its weakest member. 

Eliphas Levi says further: "Of all forms of worship 
the most magical i,s that which most realizes the miracu- 



24 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

lous, which bases the most inconceivable mysteries upon 
the highest reasons, which has lights equivalent to its 
shadows, which popularizes miracles, and incarnates God 
in all mankind by faith." 

Nothing can be truer than this. And those of the 
Magi who have been fortunate enough to secure the third 
private text-book with its sublime and sacred Invocative 
Prayers and Mantrams, know that there can be no form 
of worship, no form of Invocation, greater, deeper, more 
sublime, and, withal, more simple, than those given in that 
work. It is in this knowledge that the Master among the 
Magi has produced the Masterpiece, not only in its sub- 
limity, but in its value as a treatise, a complete text-book 
en Invocative exercises of the highest type. 

Concerning the Holy Art, Eliphas Levi further says: 

"Our Magic is opposed to the geotic and necromantic 
kinds; it is at once an absolute science and religion, which 
should not indeed destroy and absorb all opinions and 
a!l forms of worship, but should regenerate and direct 
them by reconstituting the circle of Initiates, and thus pro- 
viding the blind masses with wise and clear-seeing lead- 
ers. 

This is an undeniable truth. And this fact has been 
clearly pointed out in a recent Magazine article, which 
proves that the highest form of worship is the Invoca- 
tive system direct to the Hierarchies. 

The Magi have retained this form of worship, a form 
which not alone depends upon faith in the goodness of 
the All Father, but which depends upon knowledge, knowl- 
edge secured through the living of the life. 

But this Invocative worship, contrary to what might 
be thought by the many because we use the word worship, 
i,s, nevertheless, more than worship. It is at once the 
most sublime form of worship and a direct appeal to, or 
demand upon, the promises of the Highest Power for those 
things which are required by the Neophyte. 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 25 

This then, which is a Magic, which not only does NOT 
use the dark force,s in order to accomplish, but which, on 
the other hand, goes direct to the Godhead with its ap- 
peal, is certainly the highest form of worship, the highest 
form of a science-religion, that man can conceive of, and 
is something so totally different from that known, or 
though of, by mankind generally as to be almost unbe- 
lievable. Nevertheless, it is a fact; for the text-books of 
the Magi do not merely point to this sublime Art, but give 
the whole of the Work in its entirety. 

POWER OF, AND REASONS FOR, INVOCATIVE 
MANTRAMS. 

The profane world does not yet realize the necessity, 
nor the power, of Invocative Mantrams. It has been 
taught that prayer is effective, that prayer, if sincere, 
reaches to the Godhead; but further than this it knows 
not, never having been taught. 

WORLDf, RULED BY HIERARCHIC POWERS. 

It has well been said that the world is ruled, that 
Nature is obeyed, and that God's work is done, by angels 
and by men; but how or why has not been explained. 

God has need of man, just as man has need of God. 
God has given us a universe, broad fields wherein to grow 
the things needed by the physical ; and God has placed man 
in these fields. These fields are sowed, and the harvest 
is reaped, by men, men created by God. Were it not for 
these men, there would be no harvest, no necessity for a 
harvest. True, God might make some other arrangements, 
but it would still be the same thing in another form. 

Just as the world needs men, just as God needs men 
in the world, in order that certain things may be accom- 
plished, so doe,s God need other Beings, by the Magi 
called Hierarchic Potentates, in the other realm, that which 
we call the Above, the realm from which all matters. 



28 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

not in the hands of man are managed. It is in the Hier- 
archic Spheres that the Natural Laws are enforced; and 
it is there where the Hierarchic Powers or Potentates 
dwell. 

THE LAW OF HBRMES. 

All wise men now admit that the Law of Hermes, 
"As above, so below," is an absolute law. 

Thus we understand that, just as in this world there 
is a ruling power with its man subordinates, so, in like 
manner, there is a governing power in the Invisible Uni- 
verse which rulers through subordinates. 

Now, in the government of a republic, for instance, 
we can esldom go direct to the seat of government; but 
we can reach that seat through the ones to whom has 
been given the carrying on of the laws. These persons 
we can not reach through silence, nor can we reach any- 
ruling power by silence. It is only by the spoken or 
written word or request that we can reach the ruling pow- 
er, or the one in power, and that only through those be- 
low. 

In like manner, all ,the powers that have to do with 
the ruling of the universe, including all that is in it, even 
mankind, are ruled by one Supreme Power, yet not direct- 
ly, but through other and lesser rulers and potentates. 

Thus, just as it i,s necessary to write or to speak our 
request in the physical world in order to obtain that which 
we desire, so, in like manner, is it necessary for us to do 
so when we desire anything that i,s to come directly from 
the Supreme Fount of all things, and, from there, indi- 
rectly through the ones who are co-workers with the God- 
head. 

For this reason the Masters of old suffered, lived, 
and practiced, in order that they might become the sons 
of God and come to be like them. And this they have 
accomplished; for this is the claim of all true Initiation. 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 27 

It is then for this very reason that the Invocative 
Mantrams, sublime and most sacred, which have come 
down to us from the long ago past, are of such value. 
And it is these sacred Mantram,s and Holy Invocations, 
together with the Sacred Writings, that 

THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF MAGI 
teaches to its Neophytes. 

But these Invocative Mantrams do more than this 
if they are employed by the sincere Neophyte who is will- 
ing TO LIVE, TO BELIEVE, AND TO ACT. 

They conjoin all the powers of the human soul in ac- 
tion, and increase the creative foYce of the imagination; 
for it is the gymnastics of thought in training for realisa- 
tion which makes the effect of these sacred practices in" 
fallible. They are fulfilled with absolute confidence by 
tJsose whose duty it is to fulfil them. 

Herein we have the whole secret of the power,s of the 
Magi; and that the true Magi have such powers, has been 
well proved in the past. Even the story of the Saviour 
takes its strongest appeal for belief from the part played 
by the three Magi. 

OTHER POWERS IN NATURE. 

The Hierarchic Powers are conscious powers, each 
one being placed over ,some department of Nature and 
ruling that part, but having no power whatever over any 
other part of the universe. 

It is from here that we receive our teachings regard- 
ing the potency of holding to only one thing, and, through 
that holding, to bring it into manifestation; for we here 
see that these Hierarchic Powers, each one being at the 
head of, and governing, that department, never makes a 
mistake. And, in like manner, man, giving his whole at- 
tention to one great work, will ultimately end by attain- 
ing. 

In nature, however, besides these Hierarchic Ruling 



28 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI 

Powers, there are other powers which are not placed over 
any special department, but which, like the citizens of a 
city, are free and have power that can be obtained, al- 
though they do not belong, properly speaking, to the gov- 
ernment. These denizens of the heavens can not use 
these powers of themselves. They can, however, use them 
at the command of the Magi. 

The Magus, with hi,s knowledge, can direct these deni- 
zens, and can use the powers so possessed whenever he 
will, only being careful never to use them for any selfish 
or evil purpose, in which case the action would be like 
the boomerang, the evil or destructive power returning to 
him who had directed it. 

But this same thing we see, by analogy, taking place 
on this mundane sphere. Here we see men in power, sim- 
ply because they possess certain knowledge, use and ex- 
ploit other men who have power, but who have not the 
will to use it, they of themselves being negative. When 
the purpose is good, there can be no> evil results, since 
the charging of such a negative man with some good, of- 
ten results in giving such negatives a certain stimulus, 
which, at times, starts them towards the path of attain- 
ment. But, as is usually the case, if such negatives — will- 
lcs ( s beings — are used for some selfish purpose, for ex- 
ploitation, for profit, then sooner or later we see the re- 
bound, and destruction or loss is the ultimate result. 

The Magi know all these things; consequently, they 
are careful how they use their powers and for what pur- 
pose, knowing that while for a time they may use their 
powers for exploitation, the end, the result, is certain de- 
feat and disaster. 

It is these things, these Invocative Mantrams and Holy 
exercises, which the Imperialistic Council of the Magi 
teaches to its Neophytes, at the same time, teaching many 
of the laws, thus preventing the Neophyte from wrong 
use through ignorance. 



; THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 29 
CASTING OUT FEAR. 

The first necessary thing 1 , if one desires to attain any 
great power, is to cast out fear from the mind and soul, 
hot always is this an ea,sy matter; but, like all else, it 
is a thing that can be accomplished. 

Thus it is said by those who know, that those who 
are fearful of water can never reign over the Undines, 
or the Elementals of water. Those who fear the fire can 
never rule, or command, the Salamanders. Thi,s is for the 
reason that man can never rule over any element or any 
force so long as he fears that element or force; and the 
first thing toward attainment is the overcoming of fear. 

Fear, in fact, is but another name for ignorance. We 
fear only that which we do not understand. Once we come 
to know a thing, fully to understand it, we no longer fear 
i 1- , because our knowledge gives us wisdom a,s to whether 
it is best to make use of a certain thing or whether it 
would be better to leave it entirely alone. 

THE FOUR ELHMENTALS. 

There are the rulers of the fouMelements of Nature. 
Ey the Magi these have been called the Elementals. And 
each of the four is over a certain department of the nat- 
ural elements. 

The process of obtaining the help of these has been 
one of the most important processes taught by the Magi in 
the past and present; and here we find the necessity of 
overcoming certain faults or weaknesses within us. Thus, 
we find it necessary to overcome four vices if we would 
even think of ruling, or employing, any of the four Ele- 
mentals. 

These are vices because they are actual weaknesses. 
They are: a shallow and capricious mind; an irresolute, 
ccld, and fickle nature; a gross passion; and avaricious 
greed. These are all vicqs, as is readily understood, which 
stand in the way of man's becoming; a Magus, Therefore, 



EO THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

whether the Elemental Forces are ever to be used or not, 
it is necessary to overcome these things, necessary to 
transmute them, even in order to become a Magus. 

THE MAGICAL SECRET OF POWER. 

The sublime Order in which Eliphas Levi had been 
trained, and in which he failed to reach the highest grade, 
taught thus: "To will well, to will long, to will always, 
but never to lust after anything, such is the secret of 
power; and this is the magical arcanum which helps to 
overcome all things." 

It i,s the trained mind that overcomes; for the trained 
mind, once it focusses its power on any object, is sure to 
bring that object within its power and to become possessor 
of it. 

But, in order to do this right, in order that there may 
be no penalty attached, it is necessary for us to use this 
sublime will only in the doing of that which will bring 
good. To use this power simply because we desire to ac- 
complish something which has not in view anything good 
and unselfish, is to ,sow the seeds of destruction. How- 
ever, the true Magus does nothing at all unless there is a 
good and sufficient reason for the doing. 

CONSTANT STUDY PROHIBITED. 

There is an erroneous idea held by the vast nurnber 
who seek Occult knowledge, to the effect that they mu,st 
give up all their attention to the Holy Art, once they 
undertake to follow it. 

Nothing is farther from the truth; and nothing would 
be a greater preventive of meeting with full success in the 
Sacred Science than to give all one's attention to the Sa- 
fcred Work. 

While we live on the earth plane, there are a number 
of duties that we must perform; and among these is to 
'do our full part towards earning our own daily bread 
fcnd supporting those depending upon us, 



(THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 31 

This will require about eight hours each day, and it 
is the Divine Law that man should labor at some useful 
work eight hours a day. Other eight hour,s are for rest 
and sleep; and there then remain eight hours more, which 
should be given to study, pleasure and recreation. 

The Neophyte should, above all else, have a set rule- 
of life. His life should be one of order; and every part 
of his duties should be, when possible, performed at a 
certain time. The early morning or the evening is best 
for his studies and his practices ; and the amount of time 
for practice need not be more than thirty minutes each 
day; and, if this amount of time is faithfully given, suc- 
cess is certain. 

. DEDICATION OF LIFE. 

In the Catholic church, it is an absolute law that 
its Priest,s must vow continual and lifelong faithfulness 
to the church. This was not original with the church, but 
is really borrowed from the Order of the Ancient Magi, 
which made it an absolute rule that its Neophytes ,should 
dedicate their whole life to the Order and its work. Only 
vows of secrecy concerning the private work were re- 
quired. No vow as to faithfulness to the work during life 
was required, but the church demanded a vow of faith- 
fulness. 

It is a fact that the student who enrolls in the Work, 
and vows eternal faithfulness to the Work, is the one who 
makes the greatest success; for his aims are single, and 
the mere fact that he ,so dedicates himself, proves beyond 
a doubt that his whole heart is in the cause in which he 
has enlisted. 

MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE. 

Not only is it important that the Neophyte should 
follow some honorable business career or some useful 
Jabor, but it is ju,st as important to bis success in the 



32 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

Holy Art that he should seek innocent pleasures, that he 
should seek recreation, and that he should cultivate his 
tastes in art, in drama, in music. And, above all, where 
possible, he should take up some work of culture, no mat- 
ter if it be the culture of some favorite flower, the cul- 
ture of living things, such as dogs, chickens, pigeons, or 
other creature of which he is fond. He will find that, as 
he develops these things from a lower state of development 
up towards perfection, he, in like manner, also grows in 
perfection; beside,s it gives him an incentive, an urge, 
which is also an urge to the Soul. 

MASTERSHIP. 

It is now becoming a recognized fact that, only as we 
become master of ourselves, can we become master of 
other things or of others of our own family. 

This is not intended to imply that we have the right 
to be actual masters over others in that we rule their lives. 
But the fact remains that, as mankind is constituted at the 
present time, men capable of ruler ( ship are necessary to 
prevent others from doing things which would be destruc- 
tive to mankind generally. 

Mastership, like love, is a thing that is felt, and, just 
as the young lover, through love in his heart, radiates that 
love and unconsciously draw.s others to him through the 
love radited, so will the one who becomes master of him- 
self, according to the degree of his mastery, draw others 
to him, who will be able, and willing, to help him still 
farther onward on the Path. This is the great Occult 
Law — a Law that can not be set aside, not even by the 
man himself. 

THE FIRST NECESSITY. 

The first necessity is for man to become truly a man. 
Man is not a man merely because he bears the masculine 
form, He may be simply a male animal on the human 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 33 

plane, nothing more, often much less. But the male ani- 
mal on the human plane may become a man; and that 
is the first requisite in the Holy Art. 

To become man in truth, i,s for us to silence that 
which is called the lust and the fears of the body. The 
carnal man is full of lust, and he is just as full of fear. 
These things he must overcome. Lust must be transmuted 
into holy passions, while fears he must change into love; 
and he will find that, just in proportion as he takes up 
some worthy object, some worthy work, puts his thoughts 
and desires and gradually his love into it, so will this fear 
that he formerly possessed be changed into love for his 
work. 

In like manner, the lusts of the flesh, so common to 
mortal man and so destructive to himself and to those with 
v;hom he comes into contact, can be changed, even forgot- 
ten, if man will but seek something to love; and he will 
find that true love will gradually eat up the lusts that for- 
merly possessed him. 

This is not to say that man should be passionless. 
Not at all, for the passionless man is the soul-le^ss man. 
There is a world-wide difference between passion and lust. 
The one is of the body, it is entirely earthly; while pas- 
sion i v s a combination of the lust of the body and the love 
of the soul. These two in equal proportion becomes pas- 
sion ; but passion without love is always lust and is destruc- 
tive to all who possess it and give it a home. 

OBEDIENCE, NECESSARY. 

In the Holy or Royal Art, it is necessary, above all 
else, that the Neophyte should render obedience to the 
Order and to his Instructor until such time as he himself 
is admitted fully as an Initiate. 

This i,s necessary in all works. The young art stu- 
dent, studying with the Master Artist, dares not for a 
moment question the skill and the genius of his master, 



24 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAG*. 

Moreover, he must render absolute obedience to the mas- 
ter whom he has accepted a,s his instructor and guide. As 
he does this, as he obeys, so does he also become master 
of the brush. On the other hand, just as he exalts his 
own little ,self, his own petty opinions, above that of the 
Master, in that proportion does he fail to become the gen- 
ius that the Master is. 

It is in like manner with the Neophyte in the Holy 
Art. Self-conceit, self-opinions, egotism, all these and 
much more must be laid aside. The opinions, teachings, 
and instructions must be explicitly followed, strictly obey- 
ed, until such time as the faithful practice of them proves 
them to be untrue. This is a safe statement to make ; for, 
be it known, faithful practice has never proved them un- 
true. 

If the student holds his own opinions, holds his own 
telf, above that of those who are to teach him, if he ac- 
cepts teachings with reservation, and dabbles in other 
things, in just the proportion of so doing, will he fail of 
success; and in nearly all cases will he blame everything 
but himself. Such is weak, frail human nature ! 

But to the ,student who is sincere, whole-hearted, and 
faithful, will be the reward of the faithful; and it is he 
who will become the Magus, the one who can consort 
with the gods, knowing good from evil, love from its op- 
posite, and knowing that the soul of man can smile when 
the body weeps. 

ANCIENT INITIATION. 

And what of the Ancient Initiation? Eliphas Levi 
says : 

"He (the candidate) entirely abandoned his life and 
liberty to the masters of the Temples of Thebes or Mem- 
phis; he advanced resolutely through unnumbered terrors, 
which might have led him to imagine that there was a pre- 
meditated outrage intended against him; he ascended fu- 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL' OF THE MAGI. 35 

neral pyres, swam torrents of black and raging water, 
hung by unknown counterpoises over unfathomed preci- 
pices. * * * Was not all this a blind obedience in the 
full force of the term?" 

And that these are facts no true student of the Oc- 
cult Art will deny. And where is there one student who 
can point out to us that the Masters in the Temple were 
not justified in these trials? Where is there one today 
who can say that failure resulted when the student obeyed 
and did not doubt? There were no failures; for the 
material that enters into the composition of a man thus 
willing to trust and to obey, is the kind of material that 
makes man a Master. 

Today no such things are required. There are other, 
material things, which test the strength, the steadfastness, 
and the honor of man just as much as did these tests in 
ancient times ; and he who fails in the tests of today would 
have failed then, or more likely, would never have at- 
tempted to pass them. 

Further, and this voices a mighty truth, one of the 
most mighty that man can think of: "Is it not the most 
absolute exercise of liberty to abjure liberty for a time 
so that WF7 MAY ATTAIN EMANCIPATION ?" 

Herein is the truth, herein is the mystery of absolute 
and eternal freedom ; but the little mind, the mind of 
small calibre, desires to hold that which he thinks is free- 
dom, but which is the most absolute slavery to the' self, 
that most cruel and treacherous of all mjasters, rather than 
to become bound for a time in order to gain the greater 
freedom. 

Bliphas Levi further says: "This is precisely what 
must be done, and what has been invariably done, by those 
who aspire to the SANCTUM REGNUM of magical om- 
nipotence." 

It must be borne in mind that this does not require 
man to give up his liberty of thought concerning religion, 



:6 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI 

friends, family, labor, occupation, or aesthetic likes. It 
hatS reference only to the Great Work and to training in 
the Great Work. 

POWER MUST BE WON. 

"Life is a warfare in which we must give proofs if we 
would advance; power does not surrender of itself; it 
must be seized." 

Herein we have the secret of power. It is not the 
little, the fearful, the mistrustful, mind that reaches any 
great height of true success. It is the broad, liberal, trust- 
ful, and willing mind that reaches to the heights; for this 
is the mind that dares to do and to die. This attitude 
of mind is the only means to power. 

FREEDOM FOR MANKIND. 

Freedom will never come to mankind except through 
the true Priesthood, not a Priesthood of dogma, but the 
Priesthood of knowledge, of Initiation. 

Give the ignorant property and power, and they will 
be no more free than when they were in poverty and in 
serfdom. Freedom- is not received without effort, free- 
dom mu,st be won through knowledge. The man who, not 
having earned it, receives property and power, remains 
the slave of self, and his ignorance, together with power 
and property, will cause him to be arrogant. 

Freedom is only for those who have- merited it. Prop- 
erty is only for those who have earned it. Give freedom 
and property to those who have not deserved it, aye, even 
give them power, and they will lose it again. And why? 
Simply for the same rea,son why they had not these things 
before. Had they the knowledge, and the power to get, 
they would have had. Not having this knowledge, not 
possessing the manhood, they can not ho ; ld that which they 
themselves did not take. 

Men are not equal except in opportunity. And to be- 



,THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 37 

lieve that some have when they should not have, is to 
say that the Divine Law is at fault, and not one of the 
Magi is willing to admit that. 

Knowledge i,s the only means to freedom. Teach man 
the Law, dispel ignorance with enlightenment, and all men 
will become free, brotherly, and hold the things they need. 

You can not raise mankind upwards by lowering 
yourself; but you can raise men heavenward by helping 
him to climb up to where you may be. 

MAGUS INCLUDES THE WHOLE MAN. 

The work of the Magi does not include one part of 
man only — that is, merely the gaining of power — but it 
includes the whole man, developing every part of his na- 
ture; and, just in proportion as he does this, will he find 
that, a,s it includes the whole of himself, so does it also 
reach out, in one great circle, to the whole of the Universe. 

NOT EVEN THE MAGUS CAN STAND ALONE. 

Not even the M'agus can stand alone. After the train- 
ing of the Will, after the development of the Magus from 
the man, then there is still something more to be done, and 
that is, becoming one with all of the Magi. 

This is the formation of, or the breaking into, the 
Magnetic Chain; and it is only by doing this, by truly be- 
coming one with all, that the Magus receives hi,s greater 
power. 

It is well known to all that only by the loyalty of ALL 
members of any body of men does the body have power 
to do good or evil. This is for the reason that one man, 
standing alone, with others against him, can do but little. 
But, where there are a number, and where that number 
is individually strong, and where this number of individ- 
ually (Strong men stand together as one concrete whole — 
that is where we find almost infinite power. 

And, with the Magus, the breaking into the Magnetic 



38 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

Chain, and becoming one with it, is not such a difficult 
matter. It is simply that he must become as one of them, 
heart-whole and sincere, faithful to the cultus, and will- 
ing to help the whole assembly, in order that the whole 
assembly may help him. If he is thus, then he becomes 
one with the universal chain, and the power of the whole 
becomes the power of himself. 

DESIRE, NECESSARY. 

Unless we have some strong desire, it is not possible 
to become a Magus and be possessed of power. First 
of all, we should be favorably inclined toward the Holy 
Art. and, besides this, there must be a willingness to give 
up in order that we may receive. 

But, aside from these factors, there is still a greater 
factor; and that is, we should desire one thing above all 
others. This may be- a desire for the accomplishment of 
some great work, a desire for -the development of some 
great talent. Be it what it may, it should be a consuming 
fire, a desire that is willing to give up all else in order 
to accomplish; and, unles,s the desire is so great as to be 
willing to give up everything else in its consummation, the 
highest success is impossible. 

Desire, whether good or evil, is the magnet that draw,s 
us on. and on towards the ultimate consummation of that 
desire; and, just in proportion as is the desire, in like 
proportion will be the success if the desire i,s good, and, 
in like proportion will be the destruction if the desire is 
evil. 

It is the desire that helps to accomplish; and desire 
in itself is neither good nor evil. It i,s simply a drawing 
power. 

THE THREEFOLD WORK. 

The secrets of the Great Work have a triple meaning; 
jthey are religious, philosophical, and natural. More clear-? 



iTHE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 39 

ly stated, they are religious, philosophical, and practical. 

Man is a threefold being; and, in order that he may be 
truly man, or man-god, the threefold being must be de- 
veloped harmoniously. In other words, his entire being 
mu,st be in equilibrium. 

The Great Work has to do with the whole man; for, 
first of all, it attempts to bring his physical being into 
harmony, giving health in place of disease, strength in 
place of weakness, and balance instead of unbalance. 

The philosophical side should be developed in harmony 
with the physical; for, as the physical reaches nearer per- 
fection, it needs a philosophy that is in harmony with it; 
in order that it may retain its perfection. As a man be- 
lieves, as he thinks, so will he be. 

The Great Work, or that part of the Great Work which 
is Mystical or Magical, must naturally wait until the last; 
for it is of no advantage for the Neophyte to attempt 
training and development of Soul before he has developed 
the physical, and before he has accepted a philosophy 
that is, to him, most desirable. Even if he does begin 
such a development, it is not lasting; for the very good 
reason that a solid foundation is missing. 

THE ANCIENT SCHOOL. 

"The Holy Art is, therefore, at one and the same 
time, a religion, a philosophy, and a natural science. Con- 
sidered as religion, it is that of the Ancient Magi, that 
most Ancient of Schools, and of the Initiates of all the 
ages . as a philosophy, its principles may be found in the 
school of Alexandria and in the theories of Pythagoras; 
for it was Pythagoras that founded the present school, 
known as the Council of the Magi. As a science, its prin- 
ciples mu,st be sought from Paracelsus, Nicholas Flammel 
and Raymond Lully, and all Masters of our school. 

"This science appears true only to those who accept 
and understand the philosophy and religion; and its pro- 



40 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

cesses are successful only for those who have been strict- 
ly obedient to its teachings, and have thus become the mas- 
ters of the elementary world through such obedience." 

The school is old, it has never ceased to exist, though 
at timqs there were but a few. But now again, there are 
many seeking, and the divine fiat long since cast, that the 
school of Initiate Priest should again become supreme, 
seem,s to be going towards fulfilment. 

THE POWER OF THE MAGI. 

The Great Art really changes the nature of things, 
and this according to the strength of the Will of the Magu,s 
and his knowledge of the Great Laws and methods of 
Invocation. 

When the Magus, naturally considered infallible by 
those who believe in him and his art, confers a title or 
a name, or a power or a virtue, upon a given thing, he 
actually transforms that thing into the substance signified 
by the name. 

This is not because of the mere speech, but because 
of his faith, of his power, and moreover, because of the 
knowledge he possesses. This knowledge gives him the 
power to call upon the all-powerful Hierarchies in con- 
trol of that special work, who are bound to obey him, 
bound to honor him, just as the apprentice is bound to 
obey the master wtorkman, because of the knowledge, and 
therefore of the control, that the master workman possess- 
es. 

And it must not be thought that the Hierarchic Pow- 
ers are unwilling servants. The contrary is true; for, just 
as the apprentice is ever willing to obey and to serve the 
master workman, so are the Hierarchic Powers ever ready 
and ever willing to obey the call from one possessed of 
knowledge, who calls upon that special department in the 
Heavenly Departments of work. 

The faith and the knowledge and the power of the; 



t THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 41 

master workman in the Holy Art, all employed in calling 
upon the Hierarchic Powers and their help, constitute the 
force of the transmutation. 

PROOFS OF THIS POWER. 

That there are proofs to be had of this changing 
power, we can witness in the instant healing of many dis- 
eases by the Magi. Thus, even in the time of Jesus, which 
was centuries after the Great Schools had been practically 
closed, except to the very few, we witness cures which 
seem to be miracles; but all these cures were based upon 
the powers employed by those who knew, by the powers 
of the Magi or such as had been taught by the Magi. 

Cure of the sick is accomplished by transmutation, 
or immediate changing, of a diseased part of the body or 
cf the body as a whole into a state of health. Under most 
conditions, thi,s is a gradual process; but, in some cases, 
where the faith of the sufferer in the power of the healer 
is great enough, an instant cure is effected. 

Nature and the Hierarchic Powers will obey the one 
who knows, and who feels himself to be strong enough to 
tse this power and does use it with all hi,s might. It is 
so not only in the cure of the ills of mankind, but in many 
other departments of nature. It is for this reason that 
Talismans, properly made and properly charged, have the 
extreme power they do have. 

THE UNIVERSAL MEDICINE. 

ALL of the Magi have believed in, and held to, a 
Universal Medicine. They have admitted, however, and 
still do admit, that thi,s Universal Medicine, being a High, 
Potential, Spiritual Essence, is of little strength to those 
who have no faith in it; but to those who have faith in 
it it is all powerful. 

For the Soul, it is the Light of Truth, the Divine Il- 
lumination, which makes man one with God and one of 



42 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

the gods. For the mind, it is truth that is practical and 
may be applied to life's need,s. For the body, it is the 
healing and the perfecting power, bringing health out of 
weakness and making of man a worthy temple for God. 

The Magus uses it for himself; and he can use it 
in the cure of others. But for the profane it has neither 
power nor virtue; for, living in death, and in the belief 
of death, they are children of death, and death will be 
their portion. 

THE LAW OF EQUILIBRIUM. 

Equilibrium, or balance, is the great law which the 
Magi teach to mankind, and especially to their Neophytes. 

They teach that the three departments of nature, or 
the nature of man, mu,st be perfectly balanced; that the 
mind, the body, and the soul must be evenly developed if 
there is to be true and lasting power. And, until such 
balance is obtained, there can be no true and lasting pow- 
er. 

These three departments of man's nature are covered 
by the other three, namely, Religion, Philosophy, and 
Science; and all of these are taught the sincere Neophyte. 

This threefold law hold,s sway in all departments of 
nature, and concerns not only the Neophyte of the Magi, 
but all other men as well . and it is because of man's one- 
sided life that weakness, sickness, and failure is the uni- 
versal rule. 

Even Love, the highest and most sublime power known 
to man or the gods, is threefold — of the mind, the body, and 
the Soul. And, as it is of the three in equal proportion, 
so it is the more truly perfect and lasting. 

NATURE DEMANDS HER OWN. 

The destruction of bodies and souls that has ever fol- 
lowed unsound and unholy doctrines can not be estimat- 
ed; and it is for this reason that the Magi condemn all 



[THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 43 

doctrines that have to do with only one department of the 
nature of man. 

The Magi have taught the power of the mind from 
time past knowledge, taught it as no other school has ever 
been able to teach it; but they have also taught that the 
mind, exalted above the soul and the body, will simply 
set up a mental image, a Moloch, and that thi,s god with 
no existence will destroy, burn up, both the body and the 
soul, and end in nothingness. 

The Magi have taught the beauty, the perfection, and 
the power of the material body, taught it as no materialis- 
tic school has ever been able to teach it; for not only have 
they taught the greatness of the physical and the material, 
but they have taught the exaltedne,ss of the physical body, 
its beauty and its perfection. Furthermore, they have 
also taught that to think only of the body, to hold to the 
body, or the material, in any department of nature, is to 
become one with it, and thereby to revert back to it, re- 
sulting in destruction of the individual form and return 
to the storehouse of matter. 

The Magi have taught the power of the Soul, that 
the Soul is sublime and part of the great and glorious 
Godhead. But they have also taught, and do now teach, 
that the Soul without the mind and the body is as noth- 
ing, and that, though the Soul may be exalted at the ex- 
pense of the body, gradually a weakness in the body is 
brought about; and, as the body is weakened and becomes 
inert, so will it drag the Soul down to its own level, and 
the end is death. 

Only in threefold development is there perfection. 
Only through this threefold development i,s Life, and 
Strength, and Power, and true Success found. 

THE HIERARCHIC POWERS. 
Reference has already been made to the Hierarchic 



44 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

Powers; but, as the work of the Magus depends entirely 
upon his own inner development, first, and, second, upon 
his knowledge and power through the Sacred Formulae 
wherewith to call upon the Hierarchic Power,s, it is neces- 
sary to deal fully with this important question. 

Bliphas Levi taught this truth: 

God operates by his works — in heaven by angels 
(Hierarchies), and on earth by men. Hence, in the circle 
of angelic action, the angels can perform all that is pos- 
sible for God, and in the human circle of action men can 
dispose equally of divine omnipotence." 

This the Magi hold as true today as did the Magi of 
old; and the secrets of the Invocation of the Hierarchic 
Powers, the Magi today possess and teach in their private 
text-books to tho t se who become Neophytes in the Holy 
Order. 

GOD?S WILL. 

Directly in harmony with the above, the Magi have 
taught, and do still teach, that "nothing on earth can with- 
stand a free and rational will." When the wise men (wise 
because he has the knowledge) says, "I WILL," it is God 
himself who wills, and all that He commands take,s place. 
It is the knowledge of the physician, and the confidence 
placed in him which constitutes the supreme virtue of his 
prescriptions ; and therefore this is the only true, universal, 
and efficacious remedy. 

To this we hold; and this training of the Will the 
Magi teach to their Neophytes. 

THE HEBREW MAGUS SAID 

"These are the powers and privileges of the man who 
holds in his right hand the Clavicle,s of Solomon, and in 
his left the branch of the blossomed almond (the Illumi- 
nated and Initiated Soul). He beholds God face to face, 
without dying, and converses familiarly with the seven 
genii who command the entire celestial army. He is above 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 45 

all afflictions, and all fears. He reigns with all heaven 
and is served by all hell. He disposes of his own health 
and life, and can equally influence that of others. He can 
neither be surprised by misfortune, nor overwhelmed by 
disasters, nor conquered by his enemies. He knows the 
reason of the past, the present and the future. He possess- 
es the secret of the resurrection of the dead and the Key 
to Immortality." 

He may fall, but he rises again. 

THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL. 

In this booklet merely an idea is given as to the faith, 
ihe doctrine, and the teachings of the Council. No at- 
tempt is herein made to disclose the contends of its secret 
books of instructions. 

There are five books of instruction. All are secret, 
and only to be obtained by members of the Council who 
have become such by taking the Sacred Obligations. 

While, as above stated, we can not, in thi,s booklet, 
give any information concerning the contents of any of 
the private text-books, we do desire to call the attention 
of interested readers to the importance of these books in 
the order in which they should be studied: 

The order of study should be: 

"Ritualistic Occultism; or White Magic." 

"Kabballistic and Elohimic Magic." 

"The Grand Grimore." 

"The Imperial Ritual." 

"Highest Divine Magic." 

While we use the word, "Magic/' as title to some of 
these books, and through this booklet, we desire to call 
the attention of the reader to the fact that this word is 
never u,sed in its vulgar sense, but only in its real, its inner, 
sense, and not otherwise. 

Those who receive this booklet may obtain full infor- 
mation, concerning these books by writing for it, enclos- 



46 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

ir>g stamps. 

Besides these secret book,s of instruction, there are 
also letters of instruction which all members receive at the 
time of issue. 

The Neophyte also has the privilege of writing for 
information on any subject within the 'limits of the work, 
and no charge i,s made for such letters of instruction. 

Where Temples are founded, all the members of the 
Council have the right to visit, the right to receive the 
Ceremonial Initiation, and all such privileges as belong to 
le Temple. 

THE IMPERIALISTIC DEGREE?. 

While the work of the Council is practically that of 
taking a Neophyte and gradually training and developing 
him up so as to personify within himself the Temple with 
all its powers, nevertheless, the Council has a Ritualistic 
Degree which is conferred upon those who have proven 
their worth. 

While this degree, in a sense, is ceremonial and much 
like the work of other Fraternities, it also embodies some- 
thing more, in that the Ceremony in itself includes a cer- 
tain process which very often brings the Neophyte face 
to face with the Sacred Fire, and for this reason is to- 
tally different from the usual ceremonial work. 

This Degree is conferred only when a Sacred Con- 
vention is held in any place where there is a Temple. All 
Brothers of the Council, no matter where they may live, 
are informed of such Convocation and invited to attend. 

THE HIGHEST PRIVILEGES. 

There i,s, besides this, another privilege granted to 
all members, though, in a sense, this must be earned. 

There is, as part of the Order, an Insignia which is 
absolutely secret, and which can only be worn by those 
who hare shown their faith in the Order, and their loyalty 



THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 47 

to the Order. 

Each year, this In,signia, or the right to wear it, is 
conferred upon twelve members, and these twelve are 
chosen from the whole membership. No partiality can 
be shown, the right can not be bought, it must be earned. 

This Insignia is held more sacred by the Magi than 
is the Insignia of the Order, "Knights of the Garter;" by 
it members, and well it may be ; for the Order of the Magi 
dates back thousands of years before that other Order, 
and its members in the past were Kings and Priests of the 
noblest Order, Kings and Priests by Divine Right and by 
Divine Power. 

It i,s to be hoped that all members of the Magi may 
some day wear the Insignia, but, in order to do so, they 
must be an honor to the Order, as is the Insignia to them. 

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE MAGI. 

The Imperialistic Council is governed by a select Coun- 
cil; but the personnel is not known to any but those few 
in power. 

The Council is a government, both religious and scien- 
tific; and it selects its plenipotentiary from its most loyal 
members, and these are responsible, in regard to their mis- 
sion, only to the Government of the Council. 

For very good reasons, it is deemed best that none who 
belong to the Fraternity or who may be in power therein, 
shall be known generally, and, in fact, only to the very 
few of its members. 

This^rule may be set aside at any time; but, until the 
time is ripe to do so, the Order will work under the rule 
of Silence. 

All letters, all monies, should be addressed, not to the 
Order, but to the Publishers of its text-books, who will be 
responsible for all monies received, turning them over to 
the proper parties immediately as such letters or monies 
may be receive^, 



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48 THE IMPERIALISTIC COUNCIL OF THE MAGI. 

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cred obligation to consider all letters as private, and not 
to give any information, under any circumstances, to any 
one except the officers of the Order. 

Communications must be addressed, therefore, to our 
agents, as follows: 

THE PHILOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
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